


the best thing that’s ever been mine

by ohmypreciousgirl



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic, Post-Canon, Post-Series, or what seth would believe a happy ending would mean to him anyways, their happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 13:56:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12889347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmypreciousgirl/pseuds/ohmypreciousgirl
Summary: El Rey doesn't exist, but Seth finds it anyway.





	the best thing that’s ever been mine

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly this fic was written last year and I totally forgot about its existence, up until I was checking out files that I may have named my Kastle fic. And then I found this ahahaha
> 
> So, I want to say thanks to every person that helped me out with this fic: [ofsinnersandsaints](https://ofsinnersandsaints.tumblr.com), [hotarurea](http://hotarurea.tumblr.com), [emberfaye](http://emberfaye.tumblr.com/) and [andieb4650](http://andieb4650.tumblr.com). It's here because of your support, guys!
> 
> Title is from Mine by Taylor Swift.
> 
> Now, enjoy your story!

A fucking dream.

That was how Kate always looked with her red hair spread out on the pillow and cheeks stained pink. Beads of sweat trailing down her forehead until they disappeared between her breasts. Her thin lips kiss-swollen and glistening with saliva, hanging open in a silent cry of pleasure. 

It didn’t matter he had lost count of how many times he had seen her on the edge of absolute bliss. She never failed to take his breath away.

Resisting the instinct to close his eyes, he leaned down to catch her lips in a sloppy kiss. Her mouth was warm and slick, tasting of anything except spit, but was so familiar he could only hum in pure satisfaction.

As he kissed her, his fingers ran up and down her sides, reveling in the smoothness of her skin underneath his calloused hands. Nothing felt better than taking his time to explore every inch of her skin, which he had done already. Now the only thing he wanted was to sink into her tight heat until he lost his control.

He wasn’t a man to deny his own desires, so it didn’t take him long to slide his hands from her waist to her thighs, holding her legs open as he guided himself into her entrance. The gasp out of her lips went straight to his dick, the sensation forcing her to open her eyes and their gaze to meet for the first time in what seemed to be hours. 

Her lips quirked up as she stared at him. The ways her eyes shone with lust and love for him - God, so much love - made his heart thump in his chest. His eyes traced every contour of her face, trying to commit to memory each line and jut. 

Her soft “Seth,  _ please _ ” broke the spell he fell under and he finally moved. They both cried out as he pressed forward, burying himself to the hilt in a swift move.

“Oh God,” she muttered before shutting her eyes again. He would have laughed if the sensation of her clamping down around him hadn’t made his mind blank out for a moment. 

Taking a deep breath, Seth thrust his hips, setting the pace which always made Kate writhe under him. In response to his controlled rhythm, her legs curled around his hips as her arms did with his neck, pulling him so close it was almost difficult to breathe. Her nails scratching his back as she matched him thrust for thrust.

If just being inside of his girl was enough to make him almost lose it, the noises he got out of her and the obscene wet sound of him fucking into Kate had him on the edge of insanity. All he wanted at that moment was to come, but he  _ couldn’t _ . Not until he felt her spasm around him in utter ecstasy.

“Come on, princess,” he muttered, adjusting his grip on her. The slight change of positions made him stroke repeatedly the spot which always made her mewl in pleasure.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” she begged, digging her nails into his skin. 

It didn’t take long until he felt her clenching frantically around him, sobbing his name. She shuddered in his arms, coming so hard around his dick he had to squeeze his eyes against the onslaught of sensations.

Only after feeling her come did he allow himself to let go. Soon, he was crying out, his head burrowing into Kate’s neck as he rode out his own orgasm. 

As his body went limp, he pulled out and rolled to the side to avoid crushing Kate with his weight. He licked his lips, opening his eyes to check her. He smiled at her expression. She was completely fucked out with a look of absolute bliss on her face. 

“Come here, sweetheart,” Seth said, stretching his arm in an open invitation for her to curl up around him. Kate just rolled into him, tucking her head beneath his chin. His eyes fluttered shut as he rested his chin on the crown of her head, curling his outstretched arm around her. She slipped her leg between his, sinking more comfortably into his side as his hand started tracing invisible patterns on her back. 

Her hitched breathing slowly calmed down and, for the way her body was relaxed against him, he knew she was falling asleep. 

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, feeling the excitement post-sex finally simmer down. 

_ This is what El Rey feels like _ , Seth thought before slipping in a dreamless slumber.

 

* * *

 

Kate shrieked and then a deep belly laughter escaped her lips when Seth dipped her in the middle of the dance floor. It was date night and everything was going perfectly well.

The restaurant’s name was Porcini and Seth found it when he was doing a grocery run for Kate. It was a cozy establishment that served italian food and had a dance floor, all things that his girl loved.  

He twirled her, smiling softly at her delighted expression. When she was back into his arms, he let one of his hands rest on her hip while the other entwined with hers and they swayed gently to the beat of the song. 

Depositing a kiss on his cheek, she sighed contently and tucked her head under his chin. Seth let his eyes drop shut and breathed her in. Her familiar scent overwhelmed his senses, filling him with warmth and love. 

He tightened slightly his grip on her, pushing their bodies even closer as they rocked back and forth.

 

* * *

 

Kate was sitting against the headboard of the bed, with her headphones on and her notebook perched on her lap when Seth open the door to their hotel room. He leaned over the door frame, smiling softly at the sight in front of him.

Only by her looks, Seth knew she had barely moved since he went out. Her hair was disheveled and the only proper piece of clothing she was wearing was his white long sleeve button up. He licked his lips at the display of bare skin in front of him, feeling the familiar pool of heat in his lower stomach.

It didn’t matter he had had Kate countless of times, in so many different positions on almost every surface two people could possibly have sex in. It wasn’t enough to quench his lust for her. She didn’t even need to do something particularly sexy to get him going, just show a patch of skin or give him  _ his smile _ and he would be ready to fuck her.

Shutting the door behind him, he stepped into the room. He tried to be silent, wanting to surprise his girl, but those damned hunter reflexes she acquired gave him away quickly. Her eyes met his and a wide smile took over her face.

“Hey,” she said, taking off her headphone and looking at him expectantly. “Come ‘ere,” she patted the empty space next to her on the bed.

“Hello there,” he replied as he plopped down next to her. Not waiting for her to speak, he sealed their mouths together and put his hand on her thigh, sliding until he reached her panties. He growled against her lips, finding her warm on his fingers.

“Woah,” she said, pushing him away. “Calm down,” she laughed a bit breathless. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh, I have a surprise for you too,” he said with a lascivious grin, arching his eyebrows suggestively. “And it’s in my pants.”

“Oh my God,” she giggled. “That was the worst line you ever used on me.”

“You love it,” he said, leaning over to attack her neck with his lips.

“Seth,” she whined. “Seriously, knock it off. I want you to see something. I promise I let you molest me after.”

“Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “What is it, princess?”

“Our brothers sent us a video for our anniversary! I was waiting for you to come back, so we could watch it together,” she explained, unplugging the headphones and straightening the notebook on her lap so he could see the screen.

“Huh,” Seth grumbled. “What did those little fuckers do this time,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Hey, you didn’t even see it, stop complaining!”

“I’m sorry, have you met our little brothers?”

Kate hesitated before nodding. “Fair enough.”

“Come on, the sooner we finish this, the sooner I can go back to getting you naked,” he said, glancing at her quickly. “Not that there is a lot to uncover anyway.”

She hit his shoulder. “Shut up, Seth.”

He put his arm around her shoulders as she pressed play and a soft instrumental song filled the room. The first image appeared and it was one of Kate smiling at the camera with her long red hair falling in her face. It faded out to reveal a second one and this time it was of him on the car driving, wearing sunglasses and a big smile. After that one came a picture of the two of them together, Seth with his arms wrapped around Kate who had her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek while one of her legs was raised like in one of those old movies he loved.

Unwillingly, his mouth quirked up at the memory of that day. Kate had dressed like one of those pin-ups girls he had hanging on his wall at the office as a surprise. If Seth thought her beautiful before, when he saw her wearing that black dress covered in white polka dots she was honestly breathtaking. His reaction to her surprise was to take her dancing, so she could twirl around the dance floor for hours and hours. 

That was one of the best days they had ever spent together.

After that particular picture, came a succession of photos of Seth and Kate together throughout the three years they had been together as a couple. He had no fucking idea Kate had taken so many pictures and even less that their little brothers got their hands on them. 

The last shot before it faded into a proper video was an image of Kate showing off her engagement ring with a fake surprised expression on her face. 

His eyes widened when he realized that it was actually footage of their wedding. 

They had  _ wedding footage _ .

_ What the actual fuck? _

Shaking his head, he remained in silence watching the video play in front of him. 

Kate looked as beautiful as he remembered. Light makeup enhancing her features that perfectly matched with the deep pink lipstick she painted her lips. Her red hair cascaded on her shoulders, having only a white flower crown adorning her head. She wore a white sleeveless gown that reached the floor and was made of lace and a soft fabric he had loved to touch. Following the tradition, he dressed sharply in a tuxedo. 

The camera captured perfectly the moment: the day was bright and sunny with a soft breeze passing through them. The ceremony had happened in the backyard of one of Kisa’s acquired properties as a thank you for helping her out with another culebra issue. 

Both him and Kate were at the center of the scene, holding hands and staring at each other as one of Kisa’s minions acted as the minister. Standing by Seth’s sides were Richie and Kisa while Scott was in Kate’s with his girlfriend  _ slash  _ bandmate Rose. 

He watched Kate drop his hands to get hold of the paper she had stuffed inside her dress. As she opened the paper, the instrumental song of the video faded and the original sound took place.

Seth felt his pulse quicken, knowing what would happen next. 

“I know you  _ hated _ my request to exchange our own vows instead of repeating the traditional ones, but we are us. I don’t think the traditional way will ever fit us, so...” Kate on screen shrugged off making the video Seth chuckle. “Seth, knowing you has changed my life irrevocably,” she started making Seth fidget on his spot, looking particularly uncomfortable at her choice of words. 

“I know you think this is a terrible thing, but it is not,” she denied, knowing perfectly well how he felt about it. “I mean, I’m not gonna pretend our past didn’t happen and that we had a perfect start just because we fell in love. We did not. A lot of things sucked for a long time, but we managed to survive it somehow,” she stopped briefly to look at him. “And while we fought to live, I learned to love you and accept everything that came with that. All my choices led me right here and I don’t regret them,” she paused to offer him a smile. 

“I  _ chose _ to go with you four years ago and then I  _ chose _ you again a year later and after that I just...kept  _ choosing _ you,” she said forcefully. “So, what I want to promise you today is that I’ll keep choosing you every single day, until death do us part.” 

Seth felt his throat clog the same way it did during the wedding when Kate spoke those words for the first time. Although he hadn’t any overly emotional reaction on screen, it was clear for the way his face twisted up that her words had affected him. It wasn’t any cheesy shit that someone would expect during a wedding. It was genuine and direct, but no less heartfelt and full of love. Honestly, her whole speech just made Seth be sure marrying her was the right decision because she had written her vows to fit Seth’s taste in display of affection. Another proof Kate was his perfect fit.

Feeling particularly overemotional, Seth tilted his head slightly to the side and dropped a quick kiss on her temple before turning back to the screen. 

He watched himself take Kate’s hands into his again and then kiss them. She had smiled at him before mouthing ‘your turn’ to him. He had rolled his eyes before he started talking.

“You know, I almost called off the wedding when you announced that you wanted for us to make up our vows,” everyone including Kate laughed. “I’m not good with words...I mean I could stand here and tell you all the ways you made my life better by loving me, accepting my lifestyle and even liking my brother,” there was a pause in which they just looked at each other. “But you know all that already, sweetheart,” he smiled softly. “I’m not gonna list the top reasons I love you,” he declared, shaking his head. “I don’t have them,” he shrugged off. 

“You’re Kate and because of that I love you,” he said in an unusually tender voice. “All I want is to spend the rest of my days showing you that.”

The Kate in his arms sniffed out loud while the one on the screen just jumped into his arms in a crushing hug. He watched himself lift her up from the floor, while tucking his head between her neck and shoulders. Everyone around them cheered and that was when the original audio was cut and the instrumental song came back with the following scenes of the ceremony.

Seth watched the moment he slid the wedding band on Kate’s finger followed by her mirroring his actions. They captured the exactly moment he cupped her face between his hands and leaned down to kiss her softly. Surprisingly, the song dimmed simultaneously with the shot of their kiss, fading into black and the words in cursive letters ‘Happy Anniversary!’ appeared before the video finished.    

There was moment of silence between them before Kate broke it.

“That was a hell of anniversary gift,” she said in a choked voice. Hearing the sound of her tone, he turned around to look at her. She had a couple of tears rolling down her face and that familiar feeling of helplessness before her tears assaulted him. 

“Come on, baby girl. Don’t cry, please,” Seth begged, pushing her computer out of his way and then running his fingers on her cheeks to dry her tears. “I swear to God I’m gonna punch Richie and Scott for making you cry.”

“I’ll punch you in the dick if you do that,” she sniffled again. 

“Now, no need for this kind of aggression, princess.”

“Shut up, Seth,” she mumbled. “I’m just touched, that’s all.”

“Can’t you, like, be touched without crying?”

“The big bad Seth Gecko brought to his knees because he can’t handle a few tears,” she mocked, rolling her eyes. 

“I can handle them just fine,” he declared, petulantly. “I just hate to see them,” he muttered under his breath, a hint of annoyance in his voice. 

Kate’s expression quickly sobered up, her eyes softening at his words. 

“See? No more crying,” she said offering him a smile. “Come here,” she ordered before grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a kiss. Her hands slid down his chest and she started unbuttoning his shirt.

He made a mental note to send a thank you message to both Richie and Scott later that day.

 

* * *

 

Seth woke up to hair tickling his nose. Moving his head slightly to the side, he opened slightly his eyes and was met with a red lock hair over his face. He sighed, brushing her hair to the side. She was sleeping soundly, sprawled across his body, her weight shifting with the movement of his chest.

Moments like these were the ones Seth realized how tiny and fragile Kate truly was. Yeah, she may have the strongest spirit, but her body was brittle. She could handle herself during a fight just fine, but those left several marks on her body that sometimes could take weeks to fade - if they faded at all. 

Hell, he had to control himself when handling her sometimes. His grip could be firm, but not too strong. Biting had to be done carefully, without a lot of tugging and suction. He knew the cautious way he usually treated her in bed sometimes got on her nerves, but it was what it was. 

He never wanted to relive the dismay when he woke up the morning after they slept together for the first time and he faced the state of her neck marred with marks of his teeth. His stomach even churned at the handprints on both her hips and thighs as well as the shape of his fingers around her wrists. 

She was bruised all over, it was because of him and he  _ hated _ that. 

So while she tested his control daily and sometimes he slipped, most of time he managed to keep lid on his reaction to her. He may let go when he was around her, but not enough to hurt her.

Never again.

He shook his head, pushing those memories away. His girl was deeply asleep in his arms and he should concentrate on that.

He let out another sigh, sliding the hand that had been resting on the small of her back to her nape, burying his fingers on her hair. He leaned over, dropping a kiss to her temple as he pressed the tip of his nose against her skin. She smell like that perfume made of roses he gave to her in their first anniversary. It became her favorite and, nowadays, he could easily pick up the scent anywhere he was.

With a soft smile on his lips, Seth closed his eyes and let himself drift asleep again. 

 

* * *

 

Seth came out of the bathroom to the sound of Kate’s laugh. She was sitting on the armchair close to the window with her phone pressed in her ear. He tried to suppress a smile, but failed miserably at it. Kate’s laugh had always been so contagious.

“And then what happened?” She asked to whoever she was speaking on the phone as he walked towards his bag to grab a pair of shorts.

His movements drew her attention and she smiled brilliantly at him, her eyes still holding the glow of amusement caused by the conversation.

“Who is it?” He mouthed at her.

“Richie,” she whispered back. 

He huffed, shaking his head. Although they were in the middle of their second honeymoon, his little brother checked on them regularly. Kate had suggested after his third call in a week that Richie was suffering from separation anxiety. Seth had rolled his eyes at the time, but as the days passed and Richie kept calling, he had to agree with her. His brother was having issues with them so far away from him for two whole months. Not that it was particularly surprising, after all the three of them had spent the last few years living in each other pockets. And it’s not like Richie was the only one missing them. Kate constantly sent pictures to Richie from things that she found during their travel interesting enough to show him. Hell, even him, surrounded by his wife and free time, missed occasionally Richie’s presence. Especially when Seth was driving and Kate thought it was the best time to start singing along the radio. If it was an annoying pop song about love, she’d actually serenade to him.

“And what did Burt say to him?” Kate asked, looking excited at whatever tale his brother was spilling to her. At her expression, his lips quirked up as contentment filled him. 

He was so lucky to have Kate. He never thought he’d ever have a girl who understood and accepted his relationship with his brother. Vanessa never liked him and Sonja had betrayed Seth before she established any kind of rapport with Richie. Any other exes he had prior meeting Vanessa were pretty insignificant to him to even take in account their opinion on Richie.

So, basically before he realized the true nature of his feelings for Kate, he had given up on the idea of being with someone in a more permanent sense. He couldn’t ever choose a woman that genuinely disliked his brother. It wasn’t done.

And then he and Kate got together and liking Richie wasn’t a relationship issue anymore. Richie and Kate had a relationship independent of her being romantically involved with Seth. They had their own version of connection since they first met, even though Seth avoided to think about the kiss he witnessed Richie and Kate sharing for everyone’s sakes. It wasn’t like it mattered at that point anyway. Kate had chosen him and now she was his wife.  _ His _ . So a kiss that happened five years ago mattered absolutely nothing in the big scheme of things. 

So, he found it great that Katie and Richie had a good relationship. The two of them were close friends in a way Richie had never been close to anyone but Seth. He trusted Kate to balance out the crazy of his brother if he wasn’t around. He knew that just like him, Kate believed Richie could do better. He also knew he could trust Richie to keep her safe in case he couldn’t. Richie loved Kate as much as he did, even if it was in a completely different way, and Seth trusted that love to keep Kate safe.

“Oh, Seth got out of the shower. Do you want to talk to him?” Kate offered, drawing Seth’s attention to what she was actually saying instead just watching her chat his brother’s ear off.

Seth arched an eyebrow at her question, but said nothing.

“Okay, Richie,” she got up from the armchair. “Talk to you later, don’t do anything dumb,” she said as she walked towards him. Seth grinned at her when she passed the phone, pecking her on the lips before she slipped into the bathroom.

“Hello, little brother,” Seth greeted Richie. “Is the house still standing?”

“Oh fuck you, Seth.”

Seth laughed in reply.

 

* * *

  
No matter what Richie said, Seth definitely wasn’t the jealous type. Protective? Completely. Possessive? A little bit. Jealous? Absolutely not. 

He knew he hadn’t any reason to be jealous of Kate. She never flirted for the sake of it, the only man she ever stared at with any resemblance of desire was him and she wasn’t built  for unfaithfulness. If there was a way to elect the most reliable partner ever, Kate would easily win. And yet, catching her chattering with a guy at the café left him with a sick feeling on his stomach. 

Earlier they had decided that Kate would go to the café at the corner of their hotel to finish her book while Seth would get a package for his brother from the local culebra nest. He had told her he’d pick her up from the café around noon to take her out for lunch. He had arrived like he promised, except he didn’t expect to be the observer of a scene that hit where it hurt. 

Kate was enthusiastically talking to a guy that was clearly around her age. They were sipping coffee and, every once in awhile, one of them would gesticulate wildly as if trying to make a point. He witnessed Kate laugh a couple of times, before nodding or shaking her head. 

He looked at them and then at the people around them. Nobody was even surreptitiously staring at them like happened so many times with them in small cities like the one they were in now.

_ Probably because he is the type of person Kate should be with, unlike myself.    _

He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. If there was one thing he hated to think about was the feeling of inadequacy that sometimes ambushed him. Like, he understood he didn’t truly deserve Kate, nobody needed to tell him that. Hell, he wondered why Kate hadn’t realized a woman like her shouldn’t be with a guy like him. 

If he were a better man, he’d have let her go instead of tying her forever to him by the bonds of marriage. Maybe if he had stopped her when she decided to kiss him when she was nineteen, nowadays she’d be living a life akin to the one of a twenty-two year old. Watching her laugh with a guy her age reminded him of that. 

And, as if feeling the weight of his heavy thoughts, Kate turned around and found him standing in the middle of the café, staring at her. 

He had thought she looked happy while she talked to whatshisface, but the way she lit up when her eyes met his made his heart swell in his chest. 

And just like that any of his irrational feelings were quashed. 

Feeling somehow reassured, Seth crossed the distance separating them as Kate started standing up from her seat.

“Hey, babe,” Kate greeted him, sneaking her arms around his waist while dropping a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“Princess,” he replied, giving her a kiss on the top of her head before his eyes settled on the man sharing the table with his wife. “And you’re…?”

“Charles,” he said offering his hand. Seth shook it with a grip firm enough to make the guy wince slightly.

“This is Seth,” Kate said. “The husband I talked about.”

He tried to keep his expression impassive at Kate’s declaration, but his lips quirked up slightly at the mention of their couple status.

“And dammit, you were right,” Charles added, giving her praising look. 

Kate smiled sweetly at him, making Seth frown.

“Right about what?”

“You being hotter in person,” she explained as Seth caught Charles eyeing him appreciatively.

_ Oh _ .

“Oh,” he said, feeling suddenly embarrassed. He cleared his throat, straightening his spine. “Well...Hm.Thanks.”

“I think we embarrassed him,” Charles whispered at Kate, who bursted in laughter.

“Well, that would be a first.”

Without knowing exactly what to say, all he wanted was to get out of there. “Hmm, are you ready to go?”

“Sure,” she said, getting her clutch and turning to Charles. “It was nice to meet you, Charles.”

“Nice to meet you too, Kate,” he smiled. “Hope I see you two around before your honeymoon ends.”

“Me too,” she replied sincerely with a grin. “Bye, Charles.”

He waved at them, mumbling ‘bye’ back as Seth just nodded at him.

As they turned around to go, Seth put his arm on her shoulders, pulling her body close to his as they walked away.

The second they crossed the café door to the street, Kate was bursting into a fit of laughter. Seth just looked at her, completely unimpressed.

“I...can’t...believe...you...got...embarrassed...by...a gay...guy,” she managed to say between laughs.

“I wasn’t embarrassed,” he stammered. “I was caught by surprise. He didn’t look...you know.”

“Gay?” Kate asked in a mocking voice. “And here I thought a worldly man like yourself would be less prejudiced.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked with a frown.

“Well,” she shrugged. "I thought you’d realize by now nobody needed to look like something to be it. I mean, look at you,” she said, waving at his whole body. “You could be a model, but is actually a criminal mastermind.”

Seth just huffed, feeling exasperated. “Okay, whatever.”

“I can’t wait to tell Richie about this.”

“Don’t you dare!”

Kate just laughed.

 

* * *

  
  
“I wish we had more days like this one,” Kate declared, leaning against his body, her head resting on his shoulder.  

“That could be arranged, Mrs. Gecko,” Seth said, kissing the top of her head and draping his arm around her shoulder. 

“Are you saying we’re gonna move the Geckos operation to a location with beach?”

“I was thinking along the line of taking more days off to go to a place with beaches.”

“I’ll remind you of that whenever I want a break and you say you’ve work to do,” she promised.

Seth just chuckled, letting silence fall between them.

They were at the beach, sitting on the edge of the wooden pier with their legs dangling over it while their toes slipped into the water. After spending the morning lazing around in their bed, they had decided to have a late breakfast. The meal led them to the city, where they walked around for a few hours until Kate asked if he wanted to go to the beach. That was how they ended up there watching the sunset.

Distracted by the view and the feeling of his girl in his arms, it took him a few moments to notice Kate fiddling with her rings, her eyes fixed on them.

“Something wrong?” He asked, reaching for her hand to inspect the rings himself. The silver wedding band encrusted with natural diamonds and the princess cut diamond solitaire that adorned her finger were the perfect match if you asked him. Seth had handpicked them without anyone’s help and he found them the best purchase he had ever done in his entire life. He’d be particularly pissed if they fell apart so easily. “Did you lose a stone?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Just thinking.”

Seth frowned. “About the rings?”

“Kinda,” was her short reply before shrugging.

Seth’s frown deepened. “Care to elaborate or I’ll have to keep asking until you tell me what is going on?”

Kate sighed, entwining their hands together.

“I’ve been thinking about my mom the last few days.”

_ Oh. _ Seth knew her mother’s birthday was approaching and, as every year, she’d get exceptionally…sensitive. He hated those dates. He never knew exactly how to act aside let Kate let loose and comfort her, if she needed it.

“W-why have you been thinking about her?”

She leaned away from his shoulder to look at him. She offered him a sad smile before speaking.

“She had married young, my mom. She met daddy when she was seventeen and they got married two years later. When I was a child, I used to think that was what the dream, you know? Fall in love when you’re young, marry them and be happily ever after,” she explained with a shrug. “Kid stuff, you know?”

He nodded, trying to understand where she was getting at with it. 

“The older I got, the whole concept started bothering me. When I was sixteen, I abhor the idea of getting married in what? Three years from there? I tried to understand my mom’s point of view, but I just couldn’t. There were so many things to do before tying myself to another person forever. I wanted to go out and see the world, you know? Live a little before choosing the person I would spend the rest of my life with.”

“Okay,” Seth replied carefully, not particularly liking where this story was leading. “And?”

“And it took me almost a decade to understand what my mother told me during those years,” she said with choked voice.

“What she told you?” Seth asked in a soft voice, his hand caressing the back of hers in a soothing motion.

“That when I got proposed  to by the one I was supposed to be with, I’d say yes before I could even think about it. Because that’s how true love works,” Kate said, her eyes filling with tears. “And I never believed her. I never got to tell her that she was right, Seth.” 

Seth felt like a bastard for feeling relieved at her words. For a second there he thought she was gonna to say she regretted marrying him. He silently thanked all deities out there it was just Kate missing her mom. That issue he could handle without problems.

“Shhh, baby girl,” he said in a soft voice as he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight and rubbing her back gently.

Kate took a deep breath, letting his touch sooth her. The tension left her body gradually, until she was putty in his arms.

“Better,” he whispered against her ear.

“Yeah,” she nodded, leaning back to look at him. There was a beat of silence before she spoke again. 

“She’d have hated you,” Kate confessed with a sad smile.

Seth arched his eyebrows, not surprised by her admission. “Well, I never thought your mother would approve of her little girl shaking up with an older man who was also a criminal.”

Kate grinned at him. “Seth Gecko, every mother’s nightmare.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, but didn’t give her a come back. She was partially right after all.

“Does it bother you?” Seth found himself asking. At her frown, he clarified. “Marrying someone you are absolutely sure your mother wouldn’t approve.”

Kate stared at him, considering his question. It took a couple of seconds to her shake her head. “Maybe a few years ago I’d care, but now?” She wrinkled her nose in that cute way that made him want to kiss her senseless. “Not anymore. I already buried the girl I once was, what my mother wanted for me is irrelevant. I make my choices based on what I want,” she declared, cupping the side of his face with her hand, caressing his cheek with her thumb. “And what I want is to be your wife.”

Seth covered her hand on his face with his own, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. “Good. I like that you’re my wife.”

“And I like you’re my husband,” she replied with a smile. He grinned at her, their gaze locking for a couple of moments before Kate broke it with a question.

“So, what you want to do after here?”

_ Be with you _ was on the tip of his tongue, but just like every cheesy shit that crossed his mind since he married Kate, he kept it to himself.    
  
He kissed her instead.   
  
“Whatever you want, princess,” he whispered against her lips, before leaning away to reach for her hand.

His eyes traced the contours of it, resting once again on the wedding band and engagement ring that adorned her finger. He brought it to his lips and kissed them.

_ Yeah, until the death do us part indeed. _

**Author's Note:**

> **If you enjoyed the fic, don't forget to hit the kudos button and drop a comment about the story! As a writer, feedback is my life support ♥**


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